What Promise?
by MindBottled
Summary: If Dave thought he could just pretend that little incident at the bistro never happened, he was in for a rude awakening. Continuation of No Promises
1. Murphy's Law

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney. I also do not own 'I Just Can't Get Enough' as those rights belong to Depeche Mode.

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Originally 'No Promises' was just going to be a one-shot, but I got inspired to write this as a follow up of sorts. This _is_ going to be a multi-chapter story. I hope you all enjoy it! (:

**Pairing:** some Becky/Dave, Drake/Dave

* * *

Dave sighed contently as he meandered the streets of New York hand in hand with Becky. He finally had the girl of his dreams, the girl that loved him for him sorcery, dorky habits, and grotsky old mentors included. Nothing could ruin this relationship, nothing except…

Dave felt himself unconsciously gulp as he caught sight of a bright neon billboard with a familiar illusionist emblazoned on it, grinning broadly almost as if to taunt him. Becky would never find about that little incident, not if he could help it. He made a mental note to never ever introduce her to the Morganian as well as never going to that particular bistro again. Not that he could actually afford to go back there again but it seemed like a good little factoid to remember anyway. He had been lucky enough that there hadn't been a tabloid reporter following Drake around that day, otherwise all hell might have broken loose.

He briefly glanced at the blonde who was currently nuzzling up against his side and wondered how she might have taken the news. Somehow he didn't think she'd be too thrilled to learn about his secret luncheon escapades with a celebrity, a _male _one at that, consensual or not.

He let out a small, agitated huff that went unnoticed by Becky as he recalled the situation as a small frown set in on his lips. Not only did Drake lie and say they were secret boyfriends that were celebrating their anniversary, he kissed him! His lips tingled at the mere memory of it and he felt his cheeks briefly rise in color before he quickly admonished himself for it. No, no he did not enjoy that kiss, it was against his will not to mention it was based on a lie in front of a full restaurant with another _boy_. Besides that, he had Becky for Merlin's sake, Becky! The very same girl he had dreamed about since he was ten years old, only now he didn't have to dream about her, he _had _her.

He was brought back to reality as his phone rang, briefly releasing Becky's hand in order to retrieve the object in question from his pocket. He grimaced as he saw the name 'Martin Gore' flashing across the screen in rhythm with the melody of 'I Just Can't Get Enough' and tried to discreetly slide the phone back into his pocket, ignoring the illusionist's phone call.

"Aren't you going to answer that Dave?" Becky asked him, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as a teasing smile played across her lips.

Dave shuffled nervously for a moment as he thought of what to tell Becky. Somehow saying 'I would answer Becky but I don't want to talk the guy who kissed me' didn't seem like an appropriate response

Unsatisfied with his silence Becky stopped and looked up at him expectantly, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Well, aren't you going to answer the phone Dave? It could be Balthazar."

"It's not Balthazar Becky, I don't think he even knows what a phone is." Dave answered, a brief smile appearing on his face at the thought of a confused Balthazar trying to work a cell phone.

"Is it Bennet then?"

"Yeah, yes it's Bennet. It's totally Bennet. He's probably just trying to remind me to get some uh, uhmmm…. antacids because he uh, has uhmm really, really bad gastrointestinal problems. Not pretty, I don't even know why I'm talking about it." Dave nervously laughed, hoping that Becky would fall for his lie, as pathetic as that lie may be.

Becky eyed him for a moment with doubt before shrugging and continued walking.

"I guess we should go get him those pills then."

"What? I mean uhm, yeah we probably should but I uh, told Balthazar to get them before we left so no worries." Dave said, slightly jogging in order to catch up with her.

"Dave are you sure there isn't something you're not…." Becky was cut off mid-sentence. "BECKY! Hey Becky, wait up!"

Dave turned around and to his horror found the familiar face of the waitress running to catch up with them. He quickly grabbed Becky's arm and attempted to hurry her along, ignoring the brunette that was following them.

"Dave what's wrong?"

"I uh, just remembered! Balthazar said he couldn't get the antacids because he uh, had to get his back waxed!" Dave said, before mentally slapping himself for coming up with such a lame excuse.

"Dave, can't it wait another few minutes? I kind of wanted to talk to Penny." Becky asked, not waiting for his response as she stopped to wait for the other girl.

Dave bit his lip briefly as he watched the girl get closer and closer to them, desperately hoping that she wouldn't recognize him.

"Hey Becky! I thought for a minute you guys were trying to ditch me. Anyway, who's your friend?"

"Well Penny, he's kind of more than a friend. This is my boyfriend Dave, Penny." Becky smiled as she held onto Dave's arm while Penny didn't even attempt to hide her confusion.

"No he's not he's…." A look of realization dawned on Penny and Dave briefly wondered if he could use magic to freeze-frame her.

"Oh my god! You sleaze bag!"

Apparently while magic could kill an ancient sorceress it could not stop Murphy's Law from ruining your relationship.

"What are you talking about Penny?"

"How dare you use Becky as cover-up! Were you just going to keep it a secret from her?" Penny cried out and Dave wished he was anywhere but here.

"Keep what a secret?" Becky asked as she let go of his arm and turned to frown at him.

Penny turned around and pointed to the grinning sign. "Keep that a secret! He's cheating on you with him!"

"He's what?" Becky said incredulously, looking briefly at the billboard before fixing her gaze back on Dave who had turned ghost white.

"I saw them Becky! They were over at Chez Pierre celebrating their anniversary!"

There was a moment of deafening silence before Becky turned to Dave, eyes watering up.

"Is that who called Dave?"

"What? No, I mean, Becky please just let me explain…" he began as he reached out to her, only to have her back away from him. Becky nodded at him for a short moment, a few tears slipping from her eyes before she turned away from him completely.

"Becky please!"

If she heard his last outburst she chose to ignore it as she made her was down the street, as Penny sent him one last dirty look before chasing after her.

* * *

**Author's Extra Note: **Martin Gore is a member of Depeche Mode whose hair is dyed in a similar fashion as Drake's. Also, 'I Just Can't Get Enough' is one of Depeche Mode's hit songs. Murphy's Law describes that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I just thought I'd clarify those points in case anyone didn't get them. (:


	2. Honesty And Stairwells

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney.

**Author's Note: **I also just want to thank all of you lovely reviewers/favoriters/readers out there! It makes me extremely happy knowing you all support me and like my work. :)

**Pairing:** some Becky/Dave, Drake/Dave

* * *

Mops and brooms whizzed through the air briefly before falling to the floor with a loud clatter as Dave fumbled around the station room, eager to find his Incantus. After a few minutes, he stopped wrecking the room and began to pace around, his brows furrowed in frustration.

"Think Dave, think! Where did you last leave that stupid book." he mumbled to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose in thought.

"In the bathroom? No, too unsanitary. In the cage? No, too electrifying. In the…"

"Capable hands of your master?" Balthazar finished, a smile playing upon face as he caught sight of his disheveled apprentice.

"Ahhh Balthazar! Wh-what're you doing here?" Dave cried out in shock, turning around to see the familiar face of his mentor.

"What no, 'how are you doing Balthazar?' Oh I'm fine Dave thanks for asking."

"Where's Veronica?" Dave asked, frowning slightly.

"She's staying in London for a bit, catching up on life. I'm supposed to be there with her but I figured I'd check in on my little apprentice and see how he's doing."

"Oh you didn't have to do that. I'm doing fine." Dave answered dismissively, as Balthazar gazed around the room.

"I can uh, see that." Balthazar said, stepping over spilt cleaning supplies as he made his way towards Dave.

"Now then, weren't you looking for this?" Balthazar asked as he pulled the miniaturized tome from his the inside of his jacket.

"Ye-no, no I was just uh, trying to clean up?" Dave swallowed thickly, knowing Balthazar didn't even buy it for a second.

"You're still a bad liar Dave. It's a good trait, even if it doesn't pay off in the long run." Balthazar smiled as he held out the book to Dave, just barely out of his reach.

"Now why do you need this so badly? If I recall correctly and I do, you said, 'I'm the Prime Merlanian, I don't really think I need an Incantus anymore.' and left it sitting on the floor where it could have been piddled on." Balthazar questioned, making a face as he searched the area for Tank. Satisfied that the dog in question wasn't nearby, he refocused his gaze on Dave.

"I uh, I just need it for, that is to say I need to look for a… time traveling spell." he barely mumbled out the last bit of the sentence as he nervously rubbed the back of his head, hoping that Balthazar wouldn't catch on.

Unfortunately for Dave though, he did manage to hear the last part of his sentence, the frown that had formed on his face was enough of an indication of that. Dave made a mental note to never try his hand at gambling. With the way his luck was going he was more likely to lose millions rather than make them.

Balthazar eyed him for a moment, before letting out a tired sigh.

"No Dave, I'm afraid time travel is more of a Morganian spell, it can cause some rather unpleasant side effects. Why are you even trying to use time travel Dave?" Balthazar asked, while giving his prodigy his best 'I'm disappointed in you, Dave' look before putting the book back into one of his many coat pockets.

"It's Becky Balthazar! I just, I need her to, that is to say… I need to stop something from happening." he answered, looking anywhere but his mentor's face.

"And what do you have to change Dave? What's going on?"

Getting no response from Dave other than the youth keeping his eyes downcast, Balthazar continued as he took a seat on the steps.

"Whatever happened, you need to be honest with her. Causing gaps in the flow of time isn't going to solve any of your problems."

Dave contemplated Balthazar's words for a moment. Deep down he knew the older male was right, he couldn't disturb the natural flow of time for his own selfish purposes. He gave a frustrated sigh as he looked up at his teacher, who just observed him intently.

"Becky heard about an incident that happened a little while ago." Dave finally admitted, keeping his gaze level with Balthazar's.

"What kind of incident Dave?" Balthazar asked, motioning for Dave to take a seat beside him.

"The kind that involves lips and smooching noises." Dave answered dryly, taking a seat next to the older sorcerer.

"You showed her your tableside manners?" Balthazar grinned, earning a scowl from his apprentice.

"Alright so she found out about you kissing someone, am I right?"

"After they called me and after I lied to her about them calling me." Dave finished.

"Well, why did you lie to her?"

"Embarrassment? I dunno, I didn't want to answer the phone and then she asked who was calling and I lied and you had to get your back shaved and Bennet had stomach problems and that waitress came and ruined everything!" Dave finished his ramblings, his stress level going from a ten to a thousand.

"I shaved my back?" Balthazar asked, sounding generally surprised which caused Dave to let out a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, well you said I was a bad liar. Think of it as revenge for the itch cream."

"So why did you kiss someone else? I thought you loved Becky."

"I do, I didn't kiss the other person Balthazar, they kissed me." Dave elaborated, his cheeks reddening at the thought of the kiss.

"Why didn't you explain it to her?" Balthazar asked, looking at his student curiously.

"Because I was an idiot and she left before I could."

The sound of someone knocking at the door interrupted the duo, and Dave rushed to open it only to be greeted by Becky.

"Can we talk Dave?"

Dave only nodded in response and tried to swallow down any self-doubts he still had left as he invited Becky into the station room.

"What happened earlier with Penny, I…" Becky began before seeing Balthazar, who had a ghost of a grin on his face.

"I'll let you kids finish this, I've just got to go ah, shave my back." he said, before walking past the pair and out the door, giving Dave a wink of encouragement before he left.

Once she was sure Balthazar was out of earshot, Becky continued.

"Dave, you lied to me and while I'm still mad about that, I never gave you a chance to defend yourself." The blonde stated firmly, looking Dave straight in the eye. "Just tell me the truth and promise me, no more lies."

"No more lies Becky, I promise." Dave agreed, nodding his head slightly.

"So what did happen? Penny has the tendency to over-dramatize things but she seemed pretty sure about this."

"Let's just say Drake has a pretty strange sense of humor. Or revenge. Or both. Anyway, I insulted his clothes and he decided to mortify me, by uhmmm…." Dave paused, embarrassment getting the better of him.

"Kissing you?" Becky added helpfully.

"Yeah."

"I guess I can forgive you then. Just don't make Drake's revenge a habit with people other than me." Becky smiled before kissing Dave on the cheek, causing him to slightly blush.

Becky was getting ready to leave before Dave came back to his senses.

"Uhmm Becky? Do you maybe wanna get an ice cream or something tomorrow?"

"Sounds great. Say three-ish over at the ice cream shop by the park?" She said, turning around briefly to smile at him.

"Sounds great." Dave grinned, as he watched her leave.

Dave let out a sigh as he turned around and looked at his mess. While his luck with Becky might have turned around for the better, he still had a big mess to clean. Dave was just about to grab the nearest broom and start to sweep up, having sworn off cleaning spells after his last catastrophic attempt at using one, when he heard his cell phone go off.

Dave tensed up as he heard the familiar melody fill the room. With great reluctance, he pulled out his cell phone and answered the call, knowing that he couldn't hide out from Drake forever.

"Hello?"

"Oi Dave! Why the bloody hell haven't you picked up any of my other calls?" the British man practically yelled into the phone, his irritation fully apparent.

"I didn't really feel like talking." Dave answered, blandly.

"Well the next time you, don't really feel like talkin', mind lettin' me know? Anyway, that in'it the point. The point is…" Drake began, but was cut off by Dave.

"You're right, that isn't the point. The point is, you almost cost me my relationship with Becky."

"Wha' are you babblin' on about now?" Drake asked, sounding confused.

"You! You almost ruined my life!" Dave cried out, his own irritation with the Morganian bubbling up to the surface.

"You know what? Fine. You wanna be a wanker, go right ahead. You'll find out soon enough anyway." Drake sneered before hanging up, leaving Dave staring at his cell phone in anger and confusion for a moment, before he returned to his cleaning.

* * *

**Author's Extra Note:** I know, I know you're all wondering where Drake is. He's coming up really soon along with a big ol' surprise. Just have patience my grasshoppers! (:


	3. Murphy's Law Strikes Again!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney.

**Author's Note: **Sorry this chapter took a little longer than I intended, but here it is! I hope you all enjoy it and again, thank you guys so much for your support. I'm really glad you all like this story so much!

**Pairing:** some Becky/Dave, Drake/Dave

* * *

Dave looked over his appearance for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. While he was no 'Andre' he still wanted to look good for his girlfriend. He unsuccessfully attempted to smooth back his mop of curly hair one final time, before walking out of his room. He made his way into the kitchenette, which served a dual-purpose as both the entryway to the dorm and well, their kitchen. When he arrived he was greeted by Bennet, who was digging through the contents of their fridge.

"Who are you trying to look good for Dave? Wolves tell their pack." Bennet asked, smiling knowingly at Dave as he peered out at him from behind the fridge door.

"You know who Bennet, it's Becky." Dave grinned sheepishly, as he made his way to the door.

Bennet stared at him disbelief for a second, before shaking his head as he grabbed a soda from the fridge.

"Right, 'Becky'. S'cool man, lot's of guys are shy about stuff like that."

Dave was going to question him about what he was talking about, which wouldn't be the first time he didn't understand the inner-workings of Bennet, until he glanced at the clock on the microwave.

"It's two thirty already?" Dave yelped out before he left, leaving a baffled Bennet wondering just what had happened.

Dave careened down the steps of the dorm complex, nearly breaking his neck in the process. He continued running down the streets in this manner until he bumped into an auburn hair woman, sending the small armful of groceries she held flying.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't even see you!" Dave apologized, as he stopped and bent down to the ground to help her pick up her groceries

"Maybe next time you should watch where you're going." She responded coldly, before bending down to help him.

She didn't have many items to pick up, which Dave was thankful for. He didn't want to be late meeting Becky, seeing as how he was still on shaky ground with her. He paused as he came across a tabloid the woman had bought, his heart plummeting to his stomach as he read the headline .

"_Drake Stone's Secret Boyfriend! How They Kept Their Relationship Secret For So Long", _was emblazoned across the cover in bright red print along with a photo of him and Drake kissing. How had this happened? He was sure he hadn't seen anyone following them that day. And anyway, why did they have to use _that _photo for their headline?

The woman let out an irritated huff as she yanked away the magazine he had been gawking at, before he quickly scrambled to his feet. She glared at him for a moment before she went to put the magazine away, briefly gazing at the cover as she did so. Her eyes widened as she looked at the headline photo before staring at Dave.

"Wait a minute… aren't you?" The woman asked, glancing back and forth between the magazine cover and Dave.

"No, sorry!" Dave shouted, his feet moving faster than his lips as he ran down the sidewalk, trying to get away from the woman as fast a humanly possible.

Dave weaved throughout the roads and sidewalks, eager to make his way to the familiar condo complex. Unfortunately his date with Becky, that was assuming Becky still even wanted to be with him now, would have to wait until he got some answers from a certain illusionist.

* * *

Dave was wheezing by the time he made it up to Drake's condo, glaring at every poster and portrait of the Morganian as he made his way in. The condo reflected Drake's sense of style perfectly, a garish combination of modern deco furniture as well as Victorian style pieces. The wizard was sitting at his desk, which was surrounded by poofy white chairs, casually reading the very same tabloid, only serving to further anger Dave.

"YOU! Why didn't you tell me about this?" Dave demanded, as he yanked the magazine away from Drake's grip, only causing the illusionist to smirk.

"What happened to not feelin' like talkin'?" Drake asked, his eyes flashing with traces of anger as Dave merely scowled at him in response.

"It's what ya get really. Maybe next time you'll pick up your cell, eh?"

"You did this to get back at me because I wouldn't answer your calls?" Dave asked, staring at the Morganian with disbelief. He knew Drake was vengeful, the bistro incident had taught him that, but he was almost unwilling to believe that the wizard would go to these lengths over a few missed calls. Then again, this was the same guy that considered leather pants formal wear so Dave wasn't exactly sure what he should expect with him.

"I didn't do nothin' of the sort. In fact, you should be thankin' me."

"Really? I should be thanking you for ruining my life?" Dave asked, his voice rising to a near hysterical state.

"I tried to bloody save our asses is wha' I did. Why didn't you think the article came out sooner? I did the best I could to stall it an' it still got printed." Drake hissed, as he slammed his own hands down on the table, startling Dave.

Dave, who was now struck speechless, lowered himself into the nearest seat available.

"There's supposed to be an exclusive interview comin' out soon too." Drake said quietly, glancing at the Prime Merlianian out of the corner of his eye.

"An exclusive…" Dave started, trailing off as the form of the petite brunette came into his mind.

"Penny."

"Penny?" Drake asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"The girl at the bistro?" Dave asked, hoping a few chimes would ring in the Morganian's head and clue him in.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"The waitress? You know, the person other than you that's responsible for this mess." Dave said sharply, only receiving a cheeky grin from Drake in response.

"Sticks and stones mate."

Dave shot him a look, before pulling out his cell phone from his jean pocket. As if sensing what Drake was about to ask next, Dave answered the unspoken question.

"I'm calling Becky."

"Why?" Drake asked, looking as though he already knew the answer.

"Because she needs to be here so she can help us figure out this mess." Dave said, biting his lip as he sent the call.

* * *

Dave had desperately been trying to ignore the interview that Drake insisted on playing. So far humming, covering his ears, and trying to sing along to his Depeche Mode ring tone which, as it turned out Drake hated the band, had not worked. No matter what he did, Penny's voice broke through as if to taunt him and he reluctantly gave in, sitting in the chair farthest away from the television as his one final attempt at ignorance.

"And that's when I knew the truth, the guy, Dave, was just using Becky as a cover up." Penny said earnestly, though her bright smile gave away the false sincerity she was playing up.

"Now are you quite sure about this? It's wasn't an accident of some sort, perhaps a misunderstanding?" The reporter questioned, playing up the part of the serious reporter and not the gossip journalist she was.

"Absolutely not. The blonde one, Drake, told me that they were celebrating in secret because Dave's family disapproved. And then they kissed right there, in front of the entire restaurant!" Penny exclaimed, vying for another minute of the spotlight before the camera angle shifted.

"You heard it here first folks, without a doubt, Drake Stone is officially off the market! But who is this mysterious Dave? Stay tuned to find out more details about their secret romance!" The reporter announced, smiling cheerfully at the camera as it cut to a commercial break.

"I always knew pennies were unlucky." Dave mumbled, as Drake cut off the television.

Drake snorted and attempted to say something before being cut off by the sound of a door creaking open. Dave's gaze softened as he saw the blonde emerge into the room, before he rushed over to her and enveloped her in a tight embrace. The pair said nothing for a few moments, content to remain in each others clutches, while the illusionist watched from the sidelines curiously. Dave slowly pried away from Becky's embrace and the pair sat down at either side of the desk, their gaze still locked on one another.

"Did… did you see the interview?" Dave asked, feeling more embarrassed than anything else.

"No, but Andre gave me a copy of the magazine and then he asked if that was why you were so awkward around him, because you thought he was cute." Becky wryly smiled, in an attempt to cheer up the mood, if that was possible.

Dave just smiled weakly at her in response, ignoring Drake, who was barely attempting to stifle his laughter at the last part of Becky's sentence.

"So… so what are we going to do about this?" Becky asked, gazing apprehensively at the two wizards.

Dave looked at Drake for some form of answer and the illusionist just shrugged his shoulders in response, either not caring or for once, in the time that Dave had known him, unable to come up with a response.

"Well couldn't you two clear the air? You know, tell everyone it was all a joke?"

"Fat chance there. What with that lil' interview, no one is gonna believe us." Drake interjected, stating the obvious fact.

"Then what are we going to do about it?" Becky asked, looking at both of the magicians.

"You two won't like it." Drake said, as he grinned devilishly at Becky and Dave.

"You," Drake said, as he pointed at Dave, "Are gonna be my boyfriend."

"WHAT!" Dave and Becky shouted in unison, looking at Drake as though he had sprouted a second head.

"I told ya you wouldn't like it." Drake chuckled, as he leaned back in his seat, his hands folded behind his head.

"And how does my dating you solve our problem?" Dave asked, his brows furrowed with either confusion or irritation, at this point he wasn't sure which.

"We date for a bit and then have a massive public break-up. That way you an', what was it again darling?" Drake asked, a sly grin plastered across his face as he looked at the blonde, who was currently frowning.

"Becky."

"Becky, can date in peace an' not have everyone thinkin' she's just a cover up for me." Drake finished, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"What kind of plan is that? I mean seriously, who's going to believe that?" Dave asked, sounding exasperated with the Morganian which wasn't that far of stretch from the truth.

"Yeah well, who seriously believed either one of you?"

Dave remained silent at Drake's quip. He knew that no one, not even Bennet, had believed him but still, date _Drake_?

"Okay." Becky said firmly, staring determinedly at Drake.

"Okay?" Dave turned to stare at the blonde beside him. Had she lost her mind too?

"What choice do we have Dave? No one I know believes me and well, I think the same pretty much applies to you too. I'm not too thrilled about this either." She added, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

Dave was beginning to wonder if madness simply was catching on, as he looked from his girlfriend to the Morganian. More than anything he wanted to scream and shout at them, and possibly curse Penny, but he did nothing other than let out a strained sigh.

"Fine."

"Looks like we got a deal then." Drake said, and Dave wondered just what he was getting himself into.

* * *

**Author's Extra Note**: Oh Drake, you little evil genius. And poor Dave! Just what have you gotten yourself into this time? Stay tuned! (:


	4. Shopping With A Grudge

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney.

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the wait for this chapter. Classes just started back up and I've been a little swamped with them. I'm still going to try and update somewhat regularly though, so fear not! And again, shout outs to all of my awesome fans or really just to anyone who takes the time to read this story. I'm so glad that people enjoy this, you really have no idea how happy it makes me. :)

**Pairing:** some Becky/Dave, Drake/Dave

* * *

Dave and Bennet sat on the couch playing videogames like they had done for the past hour, each mercilessly ramming their characters into each other. Every Saturday afternoon was spent like this, apart from the times when they had exams or when Dave got too caught up working with his Tesla coils. Generally their conversations were about how classes were going or egging each other on in an attempt to make the other lose. Today however, much to Dave's dismay, the conversation seemed to be headed for a very different route.

"So now that you have the Hollywood hook up, do you think you can get me a date with a celebrity?" Bennet asked, while Dave rolled his eyes and took the opportunity to deliver a side-slash at Bennet's character, which he blocked. After taking a moment to throw Dave's character off a cliff, Bennet continued on."No one too famous, but someone noticeable."

"Bennet, I'm not playing matchmaker." Dave sighed, trying to land a sneak-attack in on Bennet's character, which he avoided. Again. While Dave was glad his best friend hadn't abandoned him after the big 'news', he didn't want to have use his relationship with Drake to gain anything for anyone. In fact, he didn't even want to be in this relationship but he didn't really have much of an option about that now.

"All I'm saying is think about it man." Bennet said, before landing the kill-shot in on Dave's character.

"Boo-yah! Who's the man? Bennet's the man!" Bennet shouted as he stood up, his controller tossed to the ground carelessly. Dave just let out a huff, though he couldn't hide a tiny smile that was making it's way onto his lips thanks to his roomie's antics.

"Best two out of three?" He asked, and Bennet immediately collapsed back down on the couch before grabbing the remote controller.

"You're on." Bennet said, his concentration fully focused on the game as he selected a character.

As the game began to load up after the duo picked their characters, both of them gunners this time instead of swordsmen, the doorbell rang.

"You expecting company?" Bennet asked, casting Dave a quick glance as he made his character climb on top of a crumbling building for a better vantage point.

"No, are you?" Dave questioned back, his character now hiding beneath a fallen stone column.

"No…" Bennet drawled off, before pausing the game.

The duo exchanged a look before screaming at the top of their lungs, "Not it!"

Bennet's voice rang out louder than Dave's own, and he frowned as Bennet smiled at him victoriously.

"You lost so it's your turn man, you know the pack's rules."

"Yeah, yeah." Dave mumbled as he got up, sluggishly making his way out of the living room area and into the kitchenette, before opening the door. He looked up to find Drake standing in the doorway, complete with he trademark Cheshire like grin. He was about to ask him what he was doing here, only to be cut off by a cry from Bennet.

"Who is it?"

"It's just Drake, Bennet." he answered, glancing back at the Morganian.

"So, do you guys want me to give you some 'alone' time?" Bennet called back, his voice laced with mirth.

"Bennet!" Dave yelled sharply, only to hear his roommate laughing somewhere off in the background.

Dave turned around and refocused his attention on Drake, who seemed rather amused by the whole ordeal.

"So what do you want?"

"Whadda ya mean, 'what do I want'? Can't I come and see my boyfriend?" Drake asked, still grinning widely at Dave.

Dave just shot him a dirty look, causing the Morganian to shoot him one right back, though the effect was ruined by his smile. After a few moments, Drake just shook his head and chuckled at Dave

"Get your stuff. We", Drake said, pausing to poke Dave in the chest, "Are going out."

Dave made his way back through the dorm to grab his wallet and to tell Bennet the news, only to find the other boy eagerly clacking away at his remote controller while his character cornered Dave's own, before unleashing a barrage of blows onto the helpless victim.

"Aww, come on! I was answering the door, that's cheating!" Dave cried out, watching in horror as Bennet defeated his character once again.

"No it's not! You never said I had to keep it paused." Bennet stated matter-of-factly,

"Next time you go for a soda run when we play, I'll remember that." Dave mockingly threatened, ignoring Bennet's protests and cries of innocence as he got his wallet and left.

The two of them walked down the stairs and streets in silence until Dave finally broke it, after receiving one too many stares from passersby.

"You know, I may have agreed to this but I have some rules."

"Which would be…?" Drake drawled off, raising an eyebrow at Dave.

"No kissing, no holding my hand, and no hugging." Dave said, ticking each rule off on his fingers.

"That in'it much of a relationship then, is it?" Drake responded, his face scrunched up in mock thought.

"This isn't a relationship, it's a hoax." Dave sighed, before running a hand through his hair, something he only did when he was nervous or stressed out. Right now, he felt a bit of both

"Don't get your knickers in such a twist Stutters." Drake said, before slinging an arm around Dave's shoulders. It hadn't even been two minutes and he was already breaking Dave's rules.

"An' as far as it bein' a hoax goes, only me, you, and what's her name know that. It's at least gotta look legit to the rest of the world."

"Her name is Becky. And don't call me Stutters." Dave said, glaring at the illusionist.

"Aww, what's the matter Stutters?" Drake mockingly asked, ruffling a hand through Dave's hair.

Dave pulled away from Drake's grip before changing the subject as he didn't particularly feel like getting into another argument with Drake, concerning Becky or his relationship with her. Look where it had gotten him last time.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Curious?" Drake asked, glancing at Dave.

"Barely."

You know, ol' Balthy was right-"

"Yeah, I already know I make an awful liar. Just like how you make up awful nicknames." Dave shot back, causing Drake to chuckle.

The two of them walked for awhile like this, the atmosphere, while still tense, was slightly lightened and Dave was grateful for that. If they were going to keep this charade up it was better that they weren't constantly at each others throat, even if Drake did make that rather hard. Drake finally broke the silence, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"It's about time you got some new clothes, in'it Dave?"

* * *

Dave, much to his annoyance, was forced to wait in the dressing room since apparently he had 'no taste'. He wasn't sure which frustrated him more, the fact that the clerk had agreed with Drake or that mister glam rock still held a grudge over his comments at the bistro. He was brought back to reality when he heard the shuffling of footsteps, shortly followed by a knock.

"Stutters? You in there?"

"Don't call me Stutters!" Dave snapped, as a polo shirt and a pair of khakis were flung over the door at him.

"Something' a lil' classier than jeans eh?"

Dave made a face though he said nothing as he tried on the outfit, hanging his own clothes over the door as he changed. Sure, jeans and t-shirts weren't exactly cutting edge fashion but they were comfortable and that was what Dave liked to be. It wasn't like this outfit was too bad, though he did hate the green stripes that adorned the polo and felt like he looked more like the part of a prep academy student instead of a physics major. The important thing was that it fit and that Drake wasn't making him try on anything too ridiculous, like a three-piece suit.

"Well?" Drake called out, expectantly.

"It fits. Can we go now?"

"Not yet, you still gotta try on more clothes."

"I really don't think I nee-" Dave was cut off mid-sentence by a bundle of clothes that hit him squarely in the face. He pulled apart the jumbled mess of clothes to find a purple tank top with a skull emblazoned on the center of it in rhinestones and a pair of what looked to be leather pants, though they looked tight enough to be leggings.

He blinked at the leather pants and studded skull shirt for a moment, dumb stricken. Shock turned to irritation as he threw the clothes back over the stall door.

"I'm not wearing this. I'll look like an idiot."

"You owe me Stutters."

"You owe me!" Dave snapped, though it came out a muffled mess since he was currently struggling to take off the polo shirt.

"Maybe I do, but who has your clothes?"

"What are you tal-" Dave reached out to grab his shirt and jeans, only to find that they were missing. "Hey, give them back!"

"Nah, I don't think I will."

"I'm still not putting it on."

"Then feel free to enjoy the breezes of jolly ol' Manhattan."

Dave glared at the Morganian through the stall door, before grabbing the leather pants and yanking them on. He may have hated this outfit but he was not going to run around the city in just his boxers.

"I really hate you sometimes, you know that?"

"Aww now Stutters, is that anyway to treat your boyfriend?" Drake called out tauntingly at him, and Dave had to resist the urge to shoot a miniature plasma bolt at him.

Dave just bit back his tongue and magic as he grabbed the top to the hideous ensemble and slipped it on, before looking at himself in the mirror. He knew he looked like an idiot and the reflection before him only confirmed it. Leather and rhinestones weren't exactly acceptable casual wear for most people but in particularly, not him. Stupid grudge…

"I've got it on, can I have my clothes back now?"

"If ya want them, come get 'em."

Dave stalked out of the stall and was promptly greeted by Drake, who was howling with laughter upon the sight of him, further irritating the Prime Merlinian.

"Nice look Stutters." Drake managed to wheeze out, as Dave glowered at him before ripping his clothes away from the Morganian and re-entering the dressing stall.

Dave wasted no time in removing the obscene getup, and felt immediately relieved when he finished slipping on his own clothes, resting his hands casually in his hoodie's pockets as he made his way out of the stall.

"Let's go. Now." Dave said, not bothering to hear Drake's response before walking out of both the dressing room and the store.

He was halfway down the block before Drake caught up with him, who seemed slightly flustered.

"Aww come on, it's not like I took a picture of it."

Dave said nothing in response, giving the magician the silent treatment instead. Childish? Yes. Efficient? Yes, if Drake's normally smiling face that now was set in a stern line was anything to go by. Dave felt a pang of sympathy for the older boy. Drake was only kidding around, even if it was emotionally mortifying for himself. Maybe it was a Morganian thing, being completely unaware of other peoples own feelings and having a twisted sense of humor to boot. Or maybe it was just a Drake thing. Either way, Dave finally broke his silence, albeit reluctantly.

"No more clothes war, agreed?"

"Well, I was kind of hopin' to get ya in a maid outfit…" Drake drawled off wistfully, earning a scowl from Dave.

"You really need to learn how to take a joke mate."

"Not if it's about me wearing a dress." Dave mumbled, while Drake attempted to hide his laughter by coughing. After a few moments of 'coughing', he finally sobered up enough to talk again.

"No more clothes war only 'cause I'm too decent to scar the rest of the world with that kinda image Stutters."

* * *

After what seemed like only minutes, though it had actually been about an hour, the two magicians finally returned to Dave's dorm complex.

"Here we are." Dave announced, unlocking the door to the small apartment before turning to Drake.

"Well, see you later I guess."

Drake just waved in response and jogged down the stairs. Once the illusionist was out of eyesight, Dave walked into the entryway of the kitchenette.

He was about to go back into the living room to rejoin Bennet, who was still stationed in front of the tv, when his cell phone rang and he fumbled with it in his pocket for a moment before managing to pull it out.

Dave glanced down at the phone and saw Becky's name flash across the screen, along with a new text message alert.

"Miss you already Dave." was all the message said, and Dave responded in an equal manner, feeling his cheeks heat up as he sent the text. It was nice to still have a connection with Becky, even if their interactions were limited to only brief text messages.

* * *

**Author's Extra Note: **I thought Stutters would be a cute play on Stutler as a nickname and I can totally see Bennet and Dave playing videogames in their free time, can't you? And just what's going to happen with Drake and Dave, or should I say 'Stutters', now? Stay tuned! (:


	5. Movies, Premieres, And Andre! Oh My!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney.

**Author's Note: **Finally! I'm so sorry about how long this chapter took to get up. I kind of have mixed feelings about it, but hopefully it's good. Again, thanks so much to anyone who reads/reviews/favorites/alerts this story! (:

**Pairing: **Some Becky/Dave, Drake/Dave

* * *

The week had gone by rather uneventfully, which Dave was thankful for. Other than a photo in another tabloid of him and Drake walking down the street together, he had managed to still remain relatively outside of the media's grasp. There was no telling how long that peace would last though and Dave was determined to enjoy what little freedom he had left.

Of course, that enjoyment of freedom was just him sprawled out on the couch flipping through tv channels which he could do even if he was being hounded by the media but that didn't really matter to Dave. He was still able to what he wanted to do, even if that was nothing at all.

"Seen it, don't want to see it, and ewww."

Dave scrunched up his nose in disgust at the horror movie on the tv screen, which currently was depicting a hoard of zombies eating the remains of… something, before flipping it off. Maybe watching tv all day wasn't such a good idea after all. Dave let out a small sigh before sitting up straight on the sofa. Maybe he could see what Bennet was up to, as the other boy had spent the entire day holed up in his room. He probably had just forgotten to do his homework again but helping Bennet figure out what to write for his next essay was better than channel surfing.

Right as he was about to get off the couch, he grimaced as his cell phone started to play the ever familiar melody from Depeche Mode. He really did need to get that ring-tone changed.

"Hello Drake."

"Dave, how would ya like to go to the movies?" Drake asked, not even acknowledging Dave's greeting."What movie would we be going to see?"

"Findin' England."

"You mean that lame looking comedy?" Dave frowned, already less than thrilled at the idea of having to sit through two hours of lame fart jokes and bromance.

"'Ey! I'll have you know Stutters, that yours truly has a cameo in it." If Drake was trying to hide the boastful tone in his voice, he was failing spectacularly.

"Ah, so this is just an ego boost for you, right?" Dave grinned, knowing fully well that was exactly why Drake was inviting him.

"Nah, I just thought ya might like to admire me in digital HD. Anyway, ya wanna go or not?" Drake demanded, his once gleeful tone now replaced with irritation.

"I thought it wasn't out yet?"

"Early screening."

"Alright well, when is it?"

"This Friday, 6pm."

"Alright well, see you this Friday then." Dave finished, and was about to hang up the phone, only to be interrupted by Drake once again.

"Wait, before I forget, ya can invite a friend to come with us."

"Becky. Can I invite Becky?" Dave asked, the words tumbling out of his mouth quicker than he thought possible.

There was a long pause over the line and Dave almost wondered if Drake had hung up on him. He wouldn't have been surprised if he did, Drake didn't really seem to care too much for Becky though he couldn't exactly understand why.

"Fine. She'll have to bring a date too though, can't have her botherin' mine." Drake finally answered, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

"Well, can you tell me where it's going to be at so I can tell Becky?"

"Don't worry about it Stutters, I'll let her know." And with that, Drake hung up.

Dave let out an irritated groan before falling back into the cushions of the couch. Of course Drake wanted to torture him by making Becky come with a date, he was a Morganian, torture was their specialty. Still, seeing Becky with someone else was better than not seeing Becky at all, he supposed. A knock jolted him from his thoughts as he looked toward the doorway of the living room to find Bennet standing there with a water bottle in his hand, grinning at him.

"Soooo?" Bennet teased.

"Were you eavesdropping Bennet?" Dave asked his roommate, half jokingly and half serious.

"I prefer to think of it as looking after a fellow pack mate. Anyway, what were you two love birds talking about?" Bennet asked, waggling his eyebrows at Dave.

"Friday night plans. We're going to go see that new comedy."

"Finding England? Sweet! I've been dying to go see it." Bennet paused mid fist pump.

"Wait a minute, I thought it wasn't out yet?"

"It's not really out yet. We're just going to an early screening."

"Do you know what theater it's at? Maybe I can get a couple of tickets too." Bennet asked hopefully, making Dave feel slightly guilty for not inviting him instead of Becky.

"Drake didn't say what theater, sorry Bennet."

"S'cool man, just give me the play by play when you get back okay?" Bennet said, before shuffling back to his room.

Once he was sure Bennet was back in his room, Dave pulled out his cell phone again. Punching in the number he knew by heart as fast as he could, he waited for Becky to pick up. After it rang for the fifth time, he realized she wasn't going to answer it and decided that if he couldn't talk to Becky, he might as well leave her a message.

"Hey Becky! This is Dave, well I mean of course you know it's me, you have caller ID but that's not the point. Drake and me are going to the movies this Friday at six, so I was just wondering if you wanted to come with us. We're supposed to be going to see Finding England and according to Drake, you have to bring a date too but I'll just be really glad to see you again. He's supposed to call you some time soon too and tell you where it's going to be at. Anyway, call me back when you get this! I lo-" The resounding beep on the other end let Dave know the answering machine cut off his message before he even had time to finish. Sighing, Dave snapped the phone shut before shuffling off to his own room. A nap would be the perfect way to alleviate his boredom and lessen the many hours it would be until he saw Becky again.

* * *

Dave woke up bleary-eyed, wincing slightly when he looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was 9:00pm. So much for having any shot at a proper sleep schedule, he was bound to be up all night now. He stumbled out of his room and headed towards the living room to find Bennet, who was watching a reality tv show with a bag of tortilla chips laying beside him on the couch. Dave's stomach let out a rumble as he eyed the chips, before he making his way over to the couch.

"Hey Dave." Bennet called out to his room-mate, his gaze never once leaving the tv screen.

"Hey Bennet." Dave responded , plopping down beside him on the couch and grabbing the bag of chips, stuffing a handful into his mouth.

"You got a call while you were dead to the world." Bennet said, his attention completely

"Who was it?" Dave perked up, slightly, any thoughts of food or drink vanishing.

"I dunno, I didn't pick it up. Rule number thirty-two, never mess with a pack-mate's stuff." Bennet said, before stealing his chips back.

"Wait, let me get this straight, eavesdropping on conversations and cheating at videogames is okay, but answering my phone is not?" Dave sometimes wondered if Bennet even knew how ridiculous some of his rules were.

"First, it wasn't cheating, you never called time-out. And second, I don't make the rules, I just follow them."

Dave just rolled his eyes and grabbed his cell phone off the table before heading back into his room. His heart was racing as he punched in the keys to his voicemail, tapping his foot with anticipation. He knew it was silly to get so worked up over a message that could be from anyone, but just the thought of even hearing Becky's voice made him happy as the recording started.

"Hey Dave, it's Becky. I got your message, but I'm still waiting for a call from Drake. Anyway, it sounds good to me. I can't wait to see you again! Love you!"

Dave let out a whoop of joy before face-planting into his bed, his face enveloped by the fluffy covers. He was finally going to get see Becky again!

* * *

Dave glanced back at the clock for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that evening, 6:10pm and still no sign of Drake. The sooner Drake arrived, the sooner he could get to the movies, and the sooner he could get to see Becky. Dave didn't want to think about who Becky was bringing because every time he did, he felt nauseated. He knew she had to see someone while he was with Drake but it didn't mean he had to like it. The sound of the doorbell being rung snapped him away from his thoughts and Dave quickly rushed over to open the door, stumbling over his own feet in the process. Drake was leaning against the doorway, clad in a tuxedo complete with a purple bowtie, his hair spiked up as it always was.

"Messy casual in'it too red carpet appropriate, Stutters." the illusionist drawled, eying the Prime Merlinian's outfit lazily.

"Yeah, but we're just going to the movies." Dave said, looking at Drake's own tuxedo curiously.

"Yeah, the movie's _premiere, _Stutters." Drake clarified, only adding to Dave's confusion.

"Wait, we're going to a movie premiere?"

"Comes with the whole package of being a devilishly handsome, world-famous illusionist. Red carpet treatment, expensive dinners, luxury hotels, designer clothes, you know, the whole shebang." Drake drawled out, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you think you could have specified that on the phone?" Dave asked irritably, pinching the bridge of his nose in order to deal with the oncoming headache that was bound to happen. He really needed to get some aspirin one of these days if he was going to be dealing with Drake on a regular basis.

"I kinda thought ya would have figured it out. It's not like you normally need permission to bring an extra person to the movies, is it?" Drake pointed out, looking about as happy as Dave felt.

"I just thought you were being weird or something." Dave mumbled, earning an irritated huff from Drake.

"Are ya gonna go in jeans or what?" "Oh yeah, right. Hang on a minute."

"Take all the time in the world Dave, s'not like we have anywhere important to be!" Drake called out, sarcasm dripping from his voice, as Dave hurried back into the apartment to his room.

Dave dug through his closet, throwing out a variety of shirts and hoodies in the process.

"It…has…got…to…be…in…here…somewhere…" Dave's mumbled, briefly glancing over the articles of clothing before flinging them into the ever-growing pile. After a few minutes, his closet was almost completely barren except for a plastic suit cover hanging limply in the back.

"FOUND IT!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Dave reemerged from the apartment, his hair gelled back and clad in a well-worn grey suit.

"Well? What do you think?"

"I think I liked ya better in the jeans, Stutters." Drake muttered, looking over Dave's threadbare suit sourly.

Dave sighed and ran a hand through his hair, before shutting the apartment door.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with."

Dave was halfway down the steps before he was struck with a horrible realization.

"Wait! Becky doesn't know it's the premiere!"

"Relax Stutters, I had my assistant send her the tickets and a dress. She should already be on her way there, I had another limo pick her up an' her date up." Drake stated calmly, which only further irritated Dave.

"So you told her that we were going to the movie's premiere, but you couldn't tell me about it?"

"Like I said before Stutters, I didn't think ya'd be so daft about it." Drake said, before thumping Dave on the head.

"Is that anything to say to your 'boyfriend'?" Dave asked sarcastically, rubbing his now-sore forehead.

"What, you want to kiss and make up?" Drake grinned slyly, edging closer to Dave.

Dave felt his cheeks heat up as he brushed Drake away, before continuing down the stairs, making a mental note to never joke around Morganians.

"I was kidding, let's go."

* * *

After an agonizing two hours, the movie was finally over with. Just as Dave had predicted, it had been one comedic cliché after the other. The crowd's opinion varied from people absolutely loving it to claiming it was the worst thing they had ever seen, but the general assessment was that everyone was ready to get out of the stuffy theater and mingle with the other guests.

"Wasn't too terrible, was it?" Drake asked, uneasily, once they made their way out into the main hall.

Dave looked at Drake, who seemed to be uncharacteristically nervous. Somehow, he didn't have the heart to tell him that the movie blew proverbial chunks, especially since it was Drake's first attempt at acting.

"I've seen some worse." Dave responded casually, in a poor-attempt to cheer up the illusionist.

"You want a drink?" Drake asked, looking positively green now.

"Anything nonalcoholic please." Dave answered, and he swore he heard Drake mutter something about 'Stutters' and 'no fun' before walking off.

Maybe he should have at least tried to lie to Drake and tell him the movie was awesome, if only to make the illusionist feel better. But then again, Drake probably would see straight through his lie anyway so there would be no point to it. In fact, he probably would have been more upset if Dave lied to him anyway.

When Dave looked up, he was left breathless by none other than Becky, who was making her way across the crowded hall towards him. She was wearing a floor-length silky, lavender gown that was layered in tiers with her hair loose in curls, but Dave was certain she would have looked beautiful even in rags.

"Becky you look… wow." Dave breathed, still stunned by how beautiful Becky appeared.

"Thanks Dave, you look wow too." Becky grinned, and Dave could practically feel his cheeks light up.

The two of them were quiet for awhile, each uncertain of how to react around the other. As much as Dave wanted to dance with Becky or kiss her, he was pretty certain that he wouldn't be able to do it without causing a journalistic uproar or suffering the wrath of one very angry Morganian. Instead, he choose the more feared and treacherous route to break the silence: small talk.

"So, are you and your 'date' having fun?" Dave asked, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he thought.

"Yeah, me and Andre thought it was great."

"You brought _Andre_?" Dave asked Becky, trying to hide the mixture of shock and horror that was currently bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. Of all the people she could have brought why did it have to be Andre, mister My-Hair-Is-Always-Perfectly-Coiffed-And-I'm-A-Rebel?

"Well yeah, I mean we both work at the station and we're good friends so it made sense." Becky reasoned, before looking at Dave curiously."Are you jealous Dave?"

"No." Even Dave wasn't convinced by the words he was saying.

"Don't be jealous Dave. Andre knows that me and him are just good friends, that's all. Okay?" Becky smiled reassuringly at him, causing butterflies to rise up against the sea of acid in his stomach.

"Yeah, okay." Dave finally conceded, his jealousy relenting against her smile.

"I'm just going to go see what he's up to. Don't go anywhere, alright?"

Dave watched as Becky walked across the floor towards Andre, squashing any of the warm fuzzy feelings he had moments before. It wasn't that he didn't trust Becky, it was just Andre he was worried about. He knew virtually nothing about him except the fact that he seemed to be everything Dave wasn't.

Dave barely even noticed when Drake returned, taking the offered glass from the Morganian without giving him so much as a second glance, his focus concentrated more on the couple across the floor from them.

"So, who's the bloke?"

"The 'bloke' is Andre." Dave replied tersely, before taking a sip of his drink.

"Is he French?" Drake asked, looking at the couple curiously.

"No, well I don't think so. He's just, you know, the guy that most girl's drool over who just so happens to be Becky's best friend." Dave tried to cover up his own bitterness but found himself unable to completely do so.

"Ahhh." Drake drawled out, knowingly.

"What do you mean 'ah'?" Dave asked, shifting his attention from Becky and the bane of his existence to well, the lesser bane of his existence.

"Nothin' just, ah. I'd be jealous too." Drake shrugged, before downing the rest of his drink.

"I'm not jealous." Dave stated, firmly.

"Right Stutters. You know, you're cuter when you're jealous." Drake chuckled, grinning impishly at Dave

"I'm not jealous!" he repeated, a little more quickly than he would have liked.

"I stand corrected Stutters, you're cuter when you're lie."

Dave choose not to respond to Drake, taking another deep sip from his glass instead, staring intently at Becky and Andre who were making their way towards the duo.

"Hi Dave, hi Drake, this is Andre. Andre, this is Drake." Becky introduced Andre to them, smiling warmly while she did so.

"Hey Drake, Dave." Andre nodded, outstretching a hand to the illusionist.

"Charmed, I'm sure." Drake smirked, before shaking Andre's hand.

"Hello Becky, Andre." Dave replied, the cordial tone of his voice not quite reaching his eyes.

"So anyway, me and Andre just wanted to thank you guys again for inviting us, didn't we Andre?" Becky said, glancing nervously back and forth between Andre and Dave.

"Yeah, this is pretty amazing. The movie wasn't the best but how many times in your life do you get to mingle with celebrities?" Andre grinned, and Dave couldn't help but feel even more annoyed by him, if possible. It wasn't that Andre was a bad guy, at least not as far as he knew but something about him rubbed Dave the wrong way. Oh right, it was the fact that he was Becky's _date_.

"Right you are mate. Anyway, hate to cut this meeting short but me and Dave have some business to attend to. Interviews, photo-signings, that sort of stuff." Drake's answer pulled Dave out of his own inner I-Hate-Andre ramblings with a shock.

"Wait, what?"

"Ya know, that big interview for such and such magazine." Drake answered, giving Dave a pointed sidelong look.

"Such and such?" Dave questioned, answering Drake's look with his own skeptical one.

"Such and such." Drake reiterated. "Anyway we're late, so if ya would jus' excuse us…" Drake ushered Dave away from Becky and Andre, despite the Prime Merlinian's protests.

Drake only stopped once he was certain that he and Dave were safely tucked away in his limousine, away from the prying eyes and ears of the crowd. Dave yanked his arm away from the illusionist irritably, sending Drake a positively livid glare.

"What was that all about?"

"That was to prevent you from lookin' like an ass, Dave." Drake responded, his arms folded against his chest.

"I was not going to look like an ass!" Dave snapped, fuming at Drake.

"Sulking in the corner and glaring at your girl's date. Stutters, correct me if I'm wrong but in'it that what being a jackass is all about?" Drake asked, his usual mocking tone now twice as sharp as usual.

"I was not sulking." Dave mumbled, looking away from the Morganian. While he would never admit it to the illusionist, he knew he was right. He _had _acted like an ass. The one chance he had to be with Becky and he blew it, just because he didn't like her fake date.

"Not what it looked like to me."

"Can we just go back inside now?" Dave demanded, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he felt. He needed to make things right with Becky and apologize, even if he did hate Andre.

"Lemme think about it." Drake paused briefly, cutting Dave a dark glare. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because my movie was rubbish and you were about to embarrass yourself." Drake answered, before cuing the driver to step on it.

* * *

**Author's Extra Note: **Oh Dave, the green-eyed monster isn't pretty, even Drake knows that. Well, he kind of does. Stay tuned! (:


	6. Pleasant Reconciliation? Not Quite

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney. I also do not own anything from Star Wars. Those rights belong to George Lucas.

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry for the delay, once again. On a more positive note, this is another long chapter with a few twists and turns thrown in. Again, thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to read, review, add, or alert this story. On to the chapter! (:

**Pairing: **Some Becky/Dave, Drake/Dave

* * *

Dave was miserable and that was putting it lightly. Since Drake dropped him off at his apartment last night, he'd been trying to get in contact with Becky. In fact, he called her cell phone so much, he could no longer leave a message. He officially went from 'boyfriend' to 'crazy, obsessed, please don't break up with me' stalker. Which if his empty inbox had anything to say about it, his relationship was screwed. Cue Depeche Mode melody.

"I'm not going to pick it up, I'm not going to pick it up, I'm not…" Dave ran a hand through his hair with a sigh before he pressed the little green button.

"Hello?"

"How are ya feelin' Stutters?" Drake asked, ignoring Dave's greeting as per usual.

"Like a jackass."

"One generally does after they've been behavin' like one."

"What if she wants to take a break?" Dave barely managed to whisper the words out loud. To lose Becky after he finally got her… that was probably the most terrifying idea about this whole mess.

"So what if she does?"

"You don't get it, Becky is…. Amazing."

"Amazing enough to dump ya? Amazing enough to bring a bloke you hate as a date?" Drake pointed out, causing Dave's stomach to swell up with fear once more.

"She hasn't 'dumped' me yet and she didn't know I hate Andre."

"So she's just daft?"

"Why did I ever think I could talk to you about this?" Dave mumbled irritably, fed up with the illusionist's snide remarks.

"Because I'm irresistibly charming?"

"Look, I've gotta go do… stuff." Dave feebly lied, before ending the phone call.

He slumped back onto his bed, the shuffling echoes of Bennet's footsteps outside the door resonating throughout his small bedroom. Bennet… what was he going to tell Bennet? He had completely forgotten any semblance of plot the movie had, and somehow he didn't think saying sorry, I was jealous over my girlfriend and her date while I was stuck with my fake boyfriend so I completely forgot my promise to you, wasn't going to earn him any brownie points with his best friend. When had his life gotten so distorted? Before the only things that mattered to him were physics, hanging out with his best friend, and Becky, not necessarily in that order. He needed time to think, away from this crazy circus he found himself twisted in. In the lab, working on his Tesla Coils, that was about the most peaceful place in the world that he knew of. Granted, they had sustained some damage in the final battle with Morgana, but it was nothing he couldn't fix. Dave ran a comb through his hair and threw on his favorite jacket before bolting out of his room, eager to get to work. Dave made it all the way to the kitchenette before bumping into Bennet, who was currently situated at their dinner table, textbooks open and coffee in hand.

"So how was the movie dude?"

Oh crap. What did he say, what could he say? Stay calm, Dave, stay calm.

"Dave man, you okay?" Bennet asked, eying his fidgeting friend with concern.

"I'm fine Bennet."

Bennet's worried expression only deepened at his denial.

"You sure? You didn't look so hot when you came back from the movie and then you locked yourself in your room all night."

"I just, I need to get some air." Dave tried to sound reassuring, but knew Bennet probably saw through his ruse anyway, as he exited the apartment.

"If you need to talk, I'm here! That's what packmates are for!"

When Dave reached the end of the apartment complex, he was immediately bombarded with flashes of light, along with microphones.

"Dave, what's it like being in a relationship with Drake Stone?"

"Is it true you've been dating since high school?"

"Reports say your parent's disapprove of your relationship. How are you handling that?"

"Did you two leave last night for a secret rendezvous?"

Dave gaped awkwardly at the crowd of reporters. Just how famous was Drake? And why did all these paparazzi have to find him now? He tried to form a sentence but the words fell short of his tongue, before he shoved through the masses, running as fast as he could down the street.

Becoming the Prime Merlinian? No problem. Battling an ancient sorceress? Easy. Pretending to be in a fake relationship? Sure, he could handle it. Answering a ton of questions about said relationship to be broadcast to the entire world? Not even if his life depended on it.

He pulled up the hood of his burgundy jacket and drew the strings up tight, never pausing for a moment as he darted away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi.

* * *

After hiding out in a nearby corner store for the better part of an hour, Dave cautiously made his way down the street, checking every so often to see if anyone was following him. Luck seemed to be on his side for once though and he made his way to the stationhouse without any further incidents.

He was greeted by the familiar musty scent interlaced magic, the Merlinian Circle glimmering faintly against the worn stone even now. It was welcoming and warm, filled with the comfort he so desperately had been seeking. He jogged down the steps and made his way over to a tarp, which served to cover the remnants of his Tesla coils, ripping it off with haste.

Dave grimaced when his Tesla coils came into light, parts of them completely destroyed and mangled. He designed his Tesla coils to withstand extremely high volts of electricity, but as a magic-imbued weapon? Not so much. In their current state, they were nothing but a mangled pile of twisted wires and fried circuits as well as bomb to his GPA, thank you so much Morgana.

With a heavy heart, Dave grabbed his toolbox and set out to work, trying to repair as much of the damage as he possibly could.

* * *

Dave was elbow deep in the wires of the circuits that he would ultimately connect to his coils, when the door slammed open.

"Dave, you in here?" A familiar British voice asked, his footsteps echoing throughout the room.

"I'm in the lab!" He shouted, as he carefully stopped his work and began packing up his tools.

Dave paused, frowning. Wait a minute… how did Drake even know where to find him at? He didn't tell anyone where he was going, not even Bennet. And more importantly, how did Drake even get into the station house? He was certain he had locked the door. Then again, that never stopped the Morganian before, as Dave briefly recalled their second meeting, when Drake and Horvath attacked Balthazar here.

Knowing the illusionist, he probably used his magic to open the door. It would figure that even when he was seeking peace and quiet, Drake would bust down the doors to find him.

"Stutters, what you need is a day out on the town. Forget all your jackassy ways and live a lil'." Drake said cheerfully, and even though Dave couldn't see him, he was sure he was grinning.

He supposed this was the illusionist's attempt to cheer him up, though he couldn't say the prospect of going outside and being swarmed by paparazzi excited him.

"With that mob?"

"What mob?" Drake deadpanned, causing Dave to gape at the Morganian behind his Tesla Coils. People were following him around…. _everywhere_, including a few places where he desperately wanted to keep his privacy and Drake acted like it was nothing.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Not really. Ya get used to it Dave, it comes with th' territory." Drake answered offhandedly, eying the sparsely decorated station house with slight distaste.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

"You always can do wha' I do." Drake grinned, before snapping his fingers.

In an instant, the six foot Morganian was transformed into a aging businessman, grooves etched across his face, his hair peppered with gray in the areas that used to be platinum.

The idea was ingenious really, what better way to evade journalists than by disguising yourself seamlessly? But Dave's past few experiences with the illusion spell had been less than pleasant. Not only was it thoroughly disturbing putting on the guise of another person but it was hard to keep your mannerisms in character. Or at least for him it was.

"No thanks."

"Well, what _do _you want to do then? You can't tell me ya actually like stayin' in this dump." Drake scoffed, looking around the room as if to prove his point.

"This 'dump' is my lab."

"What, are you some kinda mad scientist?"

"Physicist." Dave corrected, shutting his toolbox with a snap. "We could rent a dvd or something."

"You sure watchin' a movie is a good idea Dave?" Drake clearly remembered the previous night's fiasco just as well as he did.

" No, but I don't think facing that mob is a good idea either."

"Fair enough, Stutters. Tell me, do ya like Stars Wars?" Drake asked, looking at the Merlinian seriously.

"You…. erhm, do you like Star Wars?" Dave barely managed to keep a straight face at his own words. Drake Stone, glitter glam rock personified, liked Star Wars? It was about as believable as Balthazar prancing through fields of butterflies and unicorns.

"Yeah, I like Star Wars. Got a problem with it Stutters?" Drake glared at him, as if daring him to verbalize his inner thoughts.

Dave tried to clear his throat nonchalantly, in a poor-suited attempt to cover up his chuckles.

"No, you just don't seem like the type."

"Yea' well, you don't seem the type to get a girlfriend either." Drake muttered, earning a dark look from Dave.

Instead of responding to Drake's statement with an equally snide remark(thus ensuing another battle of words that would ultimately lead to yet _another _awkward moment), Dave surveyed his Tesla coils, double checking his handiwork. Everything seemed alright with… Dave mentally slapped himself when he caught sight of a loose wire. One mistake like that and it was goodbye Tesla coils. Movie, movies, what movie did he want to see? Star Wars, well all of them were good really but which did he feel like watching? After contemplating the various movies, Dave decided to go with his old standby."Get the New Hope."

"Eh?"

"Star Wars Episode IV: The New Hope. Get it."

"Why that one Stutters?" Drake sounded genuinely curious for once, a rather astonishing feat in Dave's books.

" It's the best. Luke's just finding out that life can be more than what he expected it to be and that even against all the odds, he can become a hero himself." Dave answered, content with his reasoning.

Drake just stared at him with a slightly dumbfounded expression on his face, before laughing.

" Stutters you're a sap, you know that?"

" So which one's your favorite then?" Dave asked, a little annoyed that Drake seemed to think so lightly of his.

"Return of the Jedi."

Dave couldn't help but crack a grin at this. He may have been a bit sap for liking the beginning of Luke's epic journey, but out of the two, he'd like to think that liking the touching conclusion of the saga qualified as the sappier of the two.

"Who's the sap?"

"Shaddup." Drake snapped, before bounding up the stairwell, pausing just as he reached the door.

"Movie's on me Stutters, just chalk it up with rest of the dates ya owe me." Drake smirked at Dave, then exited the stationhouse.

Dave pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He hated to think of what qualified as payment for the exorbitant places Drake had taken him.

* * *

The door opened, then gently shut, accompanied by the sound of boots clacking against the concrete floors.

"So which movie did you get?" Dave asked, his concentration fixated on thinking over the schematics of his Tesla Coils, not bothering to look away from his mutilated project.

"What movie?" This time the voice was light and airy, a distinctly feminine tone that made Dave's heart soar.

"Becky?" Dave asked, rushing toward the front of the station house to find her waiting for him by the stairwell.

"Bennet said you left the apartment upset, so I figured this must have been where you went. Seems like I was right." The ghost of a smile was teasing her lips, giving Dave a faint trace of hope. If she had come here, if she had been trying to find him, then she definitely wasn't going to dump him.

"I just came here to talk." Talk. The dreaded word of the male language, ie the talk, breaking up, splitsville USA.

"About?" Dave tried not to sound too nervous, but the loaded bomb she had just said wouldn't leave him be. Maybe she did just want to talk, maybe she wanted to yell at him for being a jackass like Drake said.

"Maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore." Becky said quietly, her eyes unable to meet his gaze. Then again, maybe she _did _want to kick him to the curb.

The walls felt like they were caving in around him, his chest compacting from the weight, his heart becoming as mangled as his Teslas coils. In a matter of mere seconds, his life went from miserable to downright hell, his worst fears brought to life.

"Wh-what?" his words came out as a hoarse whisper, tears beginning to blur his vision. He could be imagining things, he hadn't really slept well last night so hallucinations could be possible, right?

"Maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore Dave, it might be what's best for both of us right now." Nope this was definitely reality, though it felt more like a twisted alter-dimension, one where Morgana ruled the world and Dave's life was dictated by her evil little henchmen. He was half right, anyway.

"Why Becky?" Dave ignored the tears, now readily streaming down his cheeks, as he moved in closer to his girl… exgirlfriend.

"Dave…" Becky began, lifting her hands to his face, her feather-light finger strokes brushing away his tears. "Dave I, it just… it hurt the other night. It hurt seeing you with him."

"It hurt seeing you there with Andre, but that doesn't mean I want to break up with you because of it Becky."

"Break up?" Becky blinked, pulling away from him with a puzzled expression.

"I think saying, "I don't want to see you anymore, sorry." pretty much sums up breaking up with me." Dave answered, unable able to hide the bitter resentment in his voice.

"I'm not breaking up with you Dave, I just don't think we should see each other anymore, at least not for awhile until this whole mess with Drake blows over."

"So you're not breaking up with me?" Dave couldn't help but sound a little bit hopeful after Becky's response.

"Not even close." Becky smiled, before giving Dave a quick peck on the lips.

"I don't think I caught that last part." he teased, placing his hands around her waist, drawing her closer to him.

"Not even close?" Becky grinned, playing along, wrapping her arms around the nape of his neck.

"No, I believe it went like this." His lips met hers, a rush of happiness flooding through him.

This was what a relationship was supposed to be like, something warm and happy, where you can't wait to see the other person. It was not supposed to be up and down, shifting between fights to laughter and then back again, where you can't decide if you can actually stand the person or not. It was just supposed to be this… bliss.

Becky and Dave were so caught up in the moment, that they didn't hear the rattle of the door opening.

"I got your sap fest Stut-" Drake stopped midsentence, when he finally caught sight of the couple.

"What's _she _doing here?" He asked, his eyes narrowed accusingly at Dave.

If Dave was perfectly honest about it, he was a bit frightened of the Morganian in his current state. There were no jeers intermixed when he addressed him and for once, his voice was actually low, with an icy tint to match. In fact, Drake seemed altogether cold, his dark demeanor a true testament to his chosen path of magic.

"I was just about to go." Becky said, her calm tone belying her unease.

"Don't bother." And just like that, he left, the door slamming shut behind him.

The state Drake left the room in was both awkward and guilty, Becky's eyes downcast to the floor and Dave shifting uneasily beside her.

It was ridiculous that they should feel anything like this, they were the _real _couple, what did they have to be ashamed of? But as true as that fact was, it did little to ease the tension that was enveloping the room. Becky was the first to speak up.

"Maybe we should apologize to him Dave."

"Apologize? To Drake? For what?" Dave stared at his girlfriend, bewildered.

"Well, we did kind of ruined his premiere night." Becky said, sounding slightly remorseful.

How could he forget the premiere night? It ranked right up there on his list of 'bad, let's not dwell on these any longer than we have to' memories, second only to the pee incident. But it wasn't like Drake had cared about it, right? After all, he was the one that dragged Dave away from the party and took him home, calling his own movie trash.

"He didn't like the movie anyway."

"How do you know he didn't like the movie Dave?" Becky asked, staring at Dave intently, catching him off-guard.

"I…. well…. He said it was rubbish."

"Did you say it was bad first?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Dave responded quickly, a little too quickly for his liking.

Becky was silent for a moment, looking a bit pensive, before she spoke up again.

"Whether you realize it or not Dave, I think your opinion matters a lot to him."

Dave couldn't help but snort at this. His opinion mattered to Drake? The guy who wore eye liner and leather and paraded around with a devil may care attitude?

"Becky, I don't think Drake cares what anyone thinks of him."

"I wouldn't be so sure Dave." Becky replied, before glancing down at her watch.

"Yikes! I was supposed to be at the station ten minutes ago. Andre's going to kill me!" Becky gave Dave a quick peck on the cheek before racing out of the stationhouse, leaving Dave to his coils and thoughts.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I added the Star Wars bit in because Drake quotes Episode IV in the movie. I actually had specific reasons why I chose which movie for who, but I'll let you guys figure it out. Also, I might have gotten few things wrong when describing the workings of the Tesla coils, so I apologize about that. Annnnd will Drake ever talk to Dave again? Probably, but who knows? Stay tuned! (:


	7. Everything's Coming Up In Flames

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney.

**Author's Note: **I'm truly terrible at updating regularly, which is partially due to the chapters going from about three written pages to around seven or eight, but thank you so much to those of you who continue to read this story. You guys keep me at it and I appreciate you so much. Now onto the story!

**Pairing: **Some Becky/Dave, Drake/Dave

* * *

Dave raked his fingers through his hair as he paced through the stationhouse, trying to make some sense of the events that had just unfolded.

Why did Drake get upset every time he was with Becky? Even if they were in private, even if no one was watching, the Morganian still got outraged if he caught them together. If they did something in public, Dave could understand why, their actions could put Drake in a very bad situation. He highly doubted a publicity-faux pas like a false relationship would ever be forgotten and there was no way _anyone's _reputation could withstand the fall-out.

In essence, it was pretty much career-suicide.

But they weren't doing this in public, they were careful, weren't they? Dave felt his cheeks heat up as he recalled the premiere night. Making catty remarks over drinks and running out of a highly publicized event didn't exactly qualify as being precautious.

Well, they were careful for the most part then.

Besides, they wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for Drake, so whatever happened, happened. He wasn't at fault, he couldn't be at fault, and he most certainly wasn't going to be made to feel at fault. It was Drake's decision to kiss him, it was Drake's celebrity status that caused the kiss to make headlines, and it was Drake's idea for them to quote unquote, date.

His cell phone beeped and he flipped open the phone.

'Did you apologize yet?'

Okay, so maybe he was a little at fault. He had gone along with the idea, even though he knew it sounded ridiculous and _was _ridiculous. Date Drake? The entire thing had spelled out disaster from the get-go. It wasn't like Drake was a bad guy, even though he had appalling bad taste, but he just wasn't into him. Or, you know, guys in general. Not that there was anything wrong with that, it just wasn't him. He had a girlfriend who he loved, who he had loved since before he even knew what love was. Of course, he also now had a boyfriend who wasn't really his boyfriend but everyone had to think he was his boyfriend but he really wasn't.

It was all so confusing.

But the main point was Drake was not his boyfriend, he was just a friend of sorts. Who was a sorcerer. Come to think of it, Drake actually _was _a bad guy too. Incompetent, but still bad. It was funny how that fact sometimes eluded him. It was hard to compare Drake, the guy who he had been hanging out with on a regular basis who liked Star Wars and manicures, with someone like Horvath. In his mind, it just didn't add up, similar to Drake's jealousy. There was something he was definitely missing but what?

Another beep rang throughout the silence(or lack thereof).

'Dave.'

Dave frowned as he looked at his latest text. Even though it was just his name typed out, he could practically hear Becky chiding him in a stern voice.

There was no way she was going to let this go, no matter how much he ignored her. If he was honest with himself, he knew he couldn't let it go either. It was bizarre, but he did feel a little guilty about what had happened earlier. Just a_ little _bit though_. _He supposed he would have eventually apologized to Drake, just after the older male had enough time to cool down and get away from some rather unpleasant Morganian thoughts that were undoubtedly running through his head. Thoughts like turning Dave into a newt or a zombie, thoughts that he didn't want to be part of. Thoughts that he was going to get dragged into anyway, because he was going to have to go sooner than he had initially planned, thanks to Becky.

True, Dave was thankful to his normally absent luck that Becky still wanted anything to do with him, but knew he not to press it any further. As it was, his relationship with her wasn't even standing on it's last leg, it was propped up by a cardboard slot.

There were some battles you won and some you conceded.

Apologizing to Drake definitely fell into the latter category.

* * *

Dave gazed up at the skyscraper towering over him, it's stature alone sending shivers down his spine, much like the person who resided in it's topmost condo was making his gut clench up.

He really didn't want to do this.

Drake was royally pissed off at him. Actually, he was pretty sure that royally didn't even cover half of it, if that last glare Drake had given him was anything to go by.

But maybe he would be lucky, maybe after having a little time to stew things over, Drake would have calmed down a little bit. Maybe he would see that he had been acting irrationally and that Dave hadn't really been doing anything wrong. Maybe Drake would be the one that ended up apologizing to him and offer to end this whole relationship mess.

Maybe pigs actually did fly.

Dave braced himself for the worst as he headed into the complex, his own funeral march blaring throughout his mind. Dave avoided the gaze of the receptionist and other patrons as he waited on an elevator to open up. This was going to be bad, he could just feel it.

The elevator let out a loud ding as it's doors slide open, and Dave reluctantly went in, rapidly jabbing the button for the doors to close. It's not like he wanted to be rude to anyone else(not that anyone else actually was waiting for the lift), but he wasn't sure if he'd be pleasant company at the moment. The fact that this elevator seemed to play the cheesy clichéd elevator music didn't help improve his mood either. His stomach was a bundle of quivering nerves, the kind of feeling when you know you're going to throw up but are trying desperately to fight it off even though you know the end result is inevitable: whether you like it or not, you're still going to puke. Whether he liked it or not, he was still going to have to deal with Drake.

Dave mentally drew up a list of his will.

Bennet could have his X-Box and games, he used it more than him anyway. Becky could keep the burgundy jacket he had been wearing when they first met on campus as a memento to remember him by for whenever she got lonely. Balthazar could just keep his Incantus, like he was already doing anyway. His ring probably would be buried with him, but if not, Dave figured Balthazar could hang on to it as well. Everything else that was left could go to his mom and Tank.

Yup, that about summed everything nicely. He would have been willing to leave his favorite Luke Skywalker action figure to Drake, but seeing as how he was going to be the one killing him in the first place, Dave was willing to bear the blow of it ultimately becoming another one of Tank's chew toys.

Actually, even though it pained him to admit it, Tank deserved his action figure as a chew toy, regardless of what happened today. He loved that doll almost as much as he loved Dave and since he had been stuck at his mom's place for a couple of weeks now, it seemed only fitting to give it to him as an apology gift. He hadn't wanted to leave him there, but ever since the final battle, Dave got wrapped up in events that were beyond his control, leaving him little time to take care of his best canine friend. Plus, Dave secretly worried that Tank might get caught in a spell gone awry, if his first disastrous lesson in plasma bolts was anything to go by. It was highly unlikely but it spooked Dave enough to want to leave Tank in the capable hands of his mother.

He could only imagine the sheer torture his beloved bulldog was enduring, knowing that his mother had a knack for dressing him up in frilly bonnets and bows so she could take doggy portraits. Of course, his mom also fed Tank bits of steak and other scraps when she cooked, so he wasn't too bad off.

The elevator let out a loud ding, jarring Dave from his thoughts. He hesitated for a moment, before he hurried out the elevator. No use in beating around the bush about it.

He was about to knock before he noticed that the doors were jarred slightly open. Taking a deep breath, he pried open the elaborate double doors to find Drake pacing in front of his desk, his eyes focused on the floor. That is, they _were_ focused on the floor. Dave suddenly felt like a deer caught in headlights as the Morganian glared daggers at him from across the room.

"You!" He snarled, stretching out his arm and uncurling his fist.

The motions sparked memories of Dave's training sessions with Balthazar and he summoned a plasma force field around him just in the knick of time, as Drake hurled a fireball towards him.

Though it couldn't harm him, Dave felt the heat from flames of the fireball as it struck his shield, before ricocheting across the room into one of the chairs by Drake's desk.

With an angry sigh, the Morganian snapped his fingers and instantly the chair froze, before reverting his attention back to the Prime Merlinian.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Drake grit out each word venomously, his eyes blazing with fury.

"I uh, came to apologize." Dave stammered, his focus more on the half-scorched, half-frozen poofy marshmallow chair than the Morganian. _He _could have been that chair.

"You really think I'm going to believe that? You? Apologizing to me?"

"Why not?" Dave asked, a bit defensively. Sure, he may not have wanted to apologize to Drake right off the bat, but he was here wasn't he?

"Because you keep doing the same damn bloody thing, that's why not!"

"What do I keep doing? Talking with Becky?"

"That's not, she in'it…" Drake seemed to struggle to find the words to say, his face twisting up in irritation. He turned away from Dave and tried to compose himself, taking deep, even breathes. He was shaken up, both visibly and mentally. Dave wasn't much better, he was pretty sure his legs had dissolved into pudding at this point. Having fireballs hurled at you tended to do that.

In an instant, his demeanor shifted, and Dave now found himself pinned against the desk, the Morganian just a little too close for comfort. It rang eerily close to their first meeting in the bathrooms at school, sans magic.

"Tomorrow, noon, Nourriture's Haven."

"But I have classes." Dave protested, but quickly shut up as Drake tightened his grip on his shoulders.

"And I don't wanna hear it, got it? Be there."

Drake released him with one final sneer, before striding out of the room, leaving a half-awestruck, half-terrified Dave behind him.

"You do realize you just walked out of your own condo, right?'

A crackling roar put Dave on edge and instinct out-weighed magic as he dove away from the area, barely tumbling out of the way in time as another fireball whizzed by, decimating the desk. Dave felt a lump form in his throat as he looked at the charred remnants, the once ornate woodwork now little more than tinder, smoke swirling around the room.

Drake stormed back into his office, the look on his face nothing short of murderous, his trench coat billowing around him. Oh yeah, he was definitely a Morganian. Definitely.

Dave inched closer to the door before Drake rounded onto him, his features set in a dark line.

"I'll just go now." He nervously laughed, which seemed to only intensify Drake's anger.

"Yeah, you do that."

Dave wasted no time after that and left without another word, trying to calm his frazzled nerves and heart, which was now battering against his chest. While Drake's reaction wasn't completely unexpected, he never imagined it was going to be that bad. Dave rested his head against the wall of the elevator as he tried to calm down, his pulse still no where near it's normal rhythm, and punched in the button.

One thing was for certain, there never was a dull moment with Drake.

* * *

Dave felt queasy as he made his way through the busy streets, getting steadily closer to Norriture's Haven. He managed to convince Bennet he was 'sick' this morning and couldn't go with him to classes. His friend had looked less than convinced at his display, though Dave suspected just saying 'I'm sick' and staying huddled up in his comforters didn't really help his case. Regardless, he left, though only after Dave promised he would call if anything was wrong or if he needed to talk. As usual, Bennet knew his best friend too well. That, and his lying skills still left much to be desired.

The cheap concrete had turned into expensive cobblestone about a block ago, and Dave knew he was headed in the right direction. If that didn't clue him in, the wooden sign emblazoned with 'Nourriture's Haven' with tendrils of vines snaking up it did. Of course the place Drake picked would be one where Dave stuck out like a sore thumb. Even though Drake was used to living a life style rubbing elbows with the uppercrusts of society, he was not. In fact, the entire atmosphere was eerily similar to Chez Pierre: lavish, stuffy, and more than Dave's wallet could ever afford.

As he entered the establishment, whose inside was a mixture of rich hardwoods and floral paintings, attempting to create a 'homey' appearance, though the golden lacquers that etched across the frames ruined it slightly.

The host, who looked impeccably pristine in his vest and bowtie, eyed Dave over the brim of his silver glasses with barely concealed distaste.

"Dave Stutler, I presume?"

"Yeah." Dave mumbled, his unease growing with every moment spent underneath the host's disapproving gaze.

"Follow me this way sir."

The host wasted no time, leading Dave through the inner chambers of the restaurant toward a patio a in the back, which seemed more private and reserved. There was a rustic-style gazebo and smatterings of rose bushes, along with a few tables, one of which was occupied by the illusionist. Drake, who had been idly tapping his fingers against the crystal stemware of his glass, straightened up as soon as he saw Dave. A cutting glance had the host scurrying back to his podium, as Drake ushered Dave toward the table.

"Come on Dave, have a seat, there's a good Prime Merlinian." Dave scowled at the sentiment, feeling very much as though he were being treated like a child or a pet, as he took a seat in the proffered chair. Drake was piling on the accent and charm thick, which could only mean bad things for him. He glanced across the room before his eyes settled on a woman getting her meal flambéed, suppressing a shudder at the image. He could sympathize with those kabobs.

"What's going on?" He asked, reverting his attention back to the older blonde, whose smile just widened to what seemed like a painful degree. Oh yeah, something was definitely up.

"Always so suspicious! What, can't two blokes eat a meal without the world blowin' up?"

"No." He replied tersely, taking a sip from his glass. Only then did he notice something peculiar about the table or rather, the contents on the table.

"Why are there three glasses of water?"

"What?" Drake asked, his chipper front falling short for a moment.

"There's three glasses of water here."

"So there is! Now, you're a smart guy, aren't ya Stutters? You tell me why'd there be three glasses of water."

"Who else is coming here Drake?" He asked, his voice raised barely above a whisper, tiptoeing along the edge of being terrified. While Dave didn't think Drake would purposefully invite anyone that would want to cause harm to him in public, he never knew what to expect from the Morganian.

"All in good time! Why spoil the surprise, eh?" Drake winked, craning his neck over his shoulder as a figure approached the table.

"An' speak o' the devil! Here's our third guest already!"

"Andre?" Dave asked, his jaw hanging wide in shock.

"Hey guys." Andre flashed that winning grin that Dave was sure he practiced in front of the mirror and Dave tried to compose himself, though all he really wanted to do was roll his eyes and walk out right now. The only thing that stopped him was the fear of ending up like those kabobs.

"So what'd you want to talk about Drake?" Drake, who had been watching the events before him unfold with amusement, face fell flat at that question.

Dave watched as the knife turned the other way with some satisfaction, as Drake stalled for time by feigning a sore throat and gulping down his glass of water. Served him right, since Dave was fairly certain that Drake only invited Andre here to irritate him. Scratch that, one hundred percent certain. Too bad for him that Drake was quick to come up with a cover story.

"Your station. You help run that university radio station, yeah?"

"Did Dave tell you about it?" Andre asked, excitement breaking through his cool cover, his eyes glittering with anticipation.

"O' course he did! But you know what, I said Dave, why not hear about from the man himself? So here we are!" Drake announced, throwing his arms wide open at his proclamation before toning it down a bit.

"So why don't you tell me a little about it in your own words."

"The purity of music. That's what the station is all about." Andre said, with a look that Dave had heard plenty of girls describe as 'intense'.

"Mhmm, interestin'. Can you be a bit more specific?"

"We rebel against the mainstream ideals. None of that corporate trash, we go our own route. We play music that actually speaks to people instead of just having a catchy beat."

Dave felt a pang in his chest as he recalled the song Becky played that fateful night on the radio, the same song that in turn had helped him win her over. That was one thing he couldn't fault Andre on, they did play good music. However, he was willing to bet in was more to the credit of Becky than Andre. Plus, the prospect of Andre liking and ultimately choosing the song that linked him to Becky was just too creepy.

"I see."

"So I was thinking…" Andre began, eying a completely disinterested Drake over the rim of his glass.

"Oh?"

"That maybe you'd like to fund our pursuits. That's what this luncheon's all about, isn't it?"

Drake just sort of froze up at that statement, as the conversation had taken yet another unexpected(at least by him) turn. His eye twitched momentarily, before he slammed his hand down onto the table.

"Of course that's wha' it's about Andy."

"Andre." Andre corrected automatically, though Drake just continued on as if he never heard him, which he probably hadn't.

"Arnold, I am personally gonna donate some new equipment to your station."

"Awesome! As Dave can testify, ours isn't that great."

"More like you refuse to hire an engineer who knows what someone in physics could easily figure out…" Dave said quietly, looking at the linen tablecloth as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

He didn't want to help Andre swindle money out of Drake, regardless of any disdain he might hold for the latter at the moment. Besides, the equipment they had worked fine enough.

"What?"

Dave looked up at Drake's query, while Andre shot him a look that practically screamed, 'just go with it'. He mentally let out a sigh for what he was about to say.

"I mean, yeah their equipment's really bad. Uh, frayed wires and rusted fuse boxes everywhere."

He felt a little guilty for going along with Andre's scheme, but it was true, sort of anyway. Besides, he wasn't doing it to help Andre, he was doing it to help Becky.

"Say no more. I'll get some papers drawn up an' personally have the equipment installed."

"Excellent! Anyway, I hate to ditch, but my English Lit. professor will kill me if I'm absent again." Andre stood from his chair and shoved it back into it's place at the table, his hands still clenched onto it's metal backing.

"Dave, Drake, awesome catching up with you guys. Let's do it again sometime."

"Let's not." Dave mumbled quietly into his glass as Andre bounded out of the restaurant, no doubt thrilled about having yet another brush with fame. Or, you know, free equipment. Dave wasn't sure which could be skewed to make him sound worse.

He had never disliked anyway so innately before and while that certainly did bother him, it didn't bother him to the extent that Andre did.

He was everything Dave wasn't and normally, Dave didn't care about that. Well, not that much anyway. He was himself and he had grown to appreciate that, finally breaking the cycle after years of torment. But whenever he saw Andre, all those years of resentment seemed to break through. Plus, y'know, he took Becky to the premiere. That definitely didn't earn Andre any bonus points in Dave's book.

"Not quite the route I expected, bloody opportunist…"

Drake's voice drew Dave out of his thoughts as he turned to the Morganian, scowling.

"What was that all about?"

"Now you know what it feels like, Dave."

"What what feels like? Having lunch with someone you can't stand?"

Drake's eyes darkened as he leaned over the table, jabbing a finger in Dave's face.

"Look, I don't like bein' abandoned and I don't like bein' replaced, got it?"

"Got it." Dave muttered, sullenly. He didn't appreciate Drake inviting Andre, but he didn't want to make a scene, only to have it pop up in the headlines.

Drake's stern look softened slightly, though the frown was still there.

"The fact o' the matter is, you are the closet thing to a friend I've ever had. Everyone I've ever known has either left me or used me, and I can't rightly say I like either."

"You've never had a friend before?" Dave asked curiously, feeling a pang of sympathy for the Morganian as he shook his head.

After the 'pee' fiasco, he knew what it was like to tough it out on your own, since all his friends abandoned him pretty much on the spot then. Nobody wanted to be friends with the 'crazy' kid who 'wet' his pants. It was probably the cruelest challenge he ever had to face while growing up, in hindsight.

Before Bennet, he had been closed off from the world, only focusing on his studies. He thought it would have been better that way, so no one could hurt him again, so that he wouldn't have to deal with the betrayal again. It was painful enough the first time, he didn't want to risk it happening ever again after.

So he just sort of shut down.

Bennet somehow, despite all his walls and roadblocks, managed to reboot him and show him that not everyone out there was bad, that some people could accept you no matter what and be there for you. While it didn't solve all his problems, it did give him enough spark to become open with people again, to actually want to go beyond the four walls of his room and classes.

But Drake didn't even have Bennet. Heck, Drake didn't even have Tank.

Despite his cocky front, Dave knew that the Morganian had to be hurt and lonely, probably moreso than he had ever been. It was difficult toughing out the world with friends, but it was downright miserable doing it by yourself.

" Never. So if I seem a lil' hard to handle at times or a bit more possessive than ya'd like, well it's only cause I've never had anyone to think o' before. Bit of an enlightening experience, in'it?" Drake drawled off, staring wistfully up at the sky.

"What is?"

"Havin' someone to care for."

In that moment, Dave saw the truth that Drake had spent years hiding, concealing it underneath layer after layer of magic, leather, and eyeliner. The truth was that Drake wasn't as strong as Dave had initially thought him to be, that he wasn't just some confident braggadocio, he was something else entirely: He was human.

"Yeah." he replied softly, smiling at the Morganian who gaze was still cast skyward.

After a few moments, Drake shifted his gaze toward the Merlinian before him, returning his smile. It seemed very much like a genuine smile, from the soft upcurl of Drake's lips to the light twinkling behind his eyes and Dave felt his temperature rise several degrees. It was an unexpected and uncommonly sweet gesture from Drake. Almost too sweet.

"Too bad I got stuck with some sap like you Stutters."

Dave rolled his eyes at the Morganian, though there was still a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Despite all his faults, Dave knew he couldn't abandon Drake now. If he did, it would make him no better than the people that bullied him. He was determined to help Drake realize that world was not as cut-throat as it seemed and despite all of it's faults, there were still some people that cared about others.

As a waiter came out with a plate of what looked to be jellied… meat and slimy black spheres, his smile fell. He just hoped helping Drake wouldn't kill him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Was Drake really being honest with Dave when he said that he was his closest friend? Or is there something more to it than that? And that darn Andre, always popping up when you least expect it. Will there be any more surprise visitors? Stay tuned! (:


	8. Friends With Villians

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Those rights belong to Jerry Brukheimer and Disney.

**Author's Note: **I could give a million and one reasons why this chapter is so late, but they would all be excuses and you guys deserve better than that. What I can say is that I'm sorry this story is being written by a slug. Thank you all for your support, it means the world to me. Now, enough stalling, onto the story!

**Pairing: **Some Becky/Dave, Drake/Dave

* * *

While Drake was furiously typing away on his cell phone (texting or surfing the web, he couldn't tell which), Dave eyed the platter that was now resting idly at the furthermost corner of the table with some contempt.

The little black orbs (pearls might be a nicer term but Dave didn't find it to be a particularly fitting one), turned out to be Beluga caviar.

The taste had been nothing less than repulsive, something similar to sucking on copper pennies while chugging salt and Dave honestly couldn't find the appeal in them, other than perhaps showcasing someone's wealth.

A dish that left him feeling like there was an almost palpable slime trail leading down his throat was never going to make it on his delicacies list, even if the price tag left him inclined to think it must have been gilded in gold.

The second entrée was no better than the first. It had appeared to be something similar to congealed meat, a feat if there ever was one. When he tried his portion, he could only register the texture: silky, smooth, and utterly wrong.

As it slid down his esophagus, it took all of his self-restraint not to spit it out (though spew would have been more likely in his case). Not only would it have sealed his fate as a lowbrow at a high end establishment such as this, but he was pretty sure if had, Drake would have howled with laughter.

Not that his reaction was much better once he caught the look on Dave's face after he ingested those gastrointestinal horrors.

"Come on Stutters, are you still on about that?" Drake's voice snapped him out of his reverie, somewhere between mentally spearing and roasting the remaining 'delicacies' left on the platter.

"You had me eat _fish eggs_."

"Yeah well, it wouldn't kill ya to have a little fun once in a while. Tasting the world and all that jazz." Drake replied, pocketing his phone, his attention now fixated on the Merlinian.

"Yeah well, there are cheaper ways to taste seawater and mold."

At his quip, the Morganian let out a rumble of laughter, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in amusement. Despite the part of him that was still irate, Dave relented, a few soft chuckles emerging from his lips.

"So what are you interested in?"

Now that was a question that definitely sobered up the atmosphere. Dave eyed the illusionist curiously, taking a sip from his glass of water in order to stall for time. Was Drake actually trying to get to know him as opposed to humiliating him?

More importantly, was he trying to accomplish that task in the form of the ever dreaded small talk?

At this point, it really couldn't hurt to try and work on their friendship. After all, he was pretty sure today had been a relative break-through for the Morganian. He couldn't imagine that Drake, the cocky, extravagant illusionist liked to let many people know that despite his smooth exterior, he really was quite fallible.

Up until now, he was pretty sure that the majority of his perception in concerns to Drake had just been another one of his parlor tricks, an optical illusion of sorts. Despite a few instances when traces of the real Morganian broke through (Dave still shuddered at the thought of smores), his knowledge of the other male was limited only to what he wanted him to know, nothing more and nothing less.

His stomach lurched uncomfortably and while Dave would just like to write that off as a side-effect of the expensive cuisine, he knew there was more to it than that.

If all his previous actions had just been a charade, who was to say that what Drake told him earlier wasn't one either? In fact, it was entirely plausible that the Morganian was playing him for a fool, while he had been none the wiser. To what end though, he didn't have the faintest clue.

Before he could dwell anymore on those thoughts, Dave shrugged them away; Balthazar's paranoia must be contagious. Even if he didn't always understand the Morganian, even if he had been his enemy in the past, Dave refused to believe that he had been any less than truthful with him.

The look in his eyes had been proof enough.

"Earth to Stutters!" Drake's hand waved back in forth in front of the other male's face, until he began to blink owlishly, stumbling back into the present. "For a second there, I thought I'd lost ya mate."

"Yeah uh, sorry about that." Dave began sheepishly, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment at being caught off guard. "I guess I like to game sometimes."

"Game? You're not talking about sports, are ya Stutters?" Drake's eyes ran up and down his form as he sized up the Merlinian; somehow, Dave knew he wouldn't be impressed.

Dave was built more for behind-the-scene roles as opposed to being the action star, not that there was anything wrong with that. There are some things you excel at and others you just flat out suck at; for Dave, one of those things had been athletics.

"No, videogames. Fantasy, action, rpgs… anything really." Dave drawled off, feeling his color slowly return to normal. "So what about you?"

"Plan new stage acts, maybe practice 'em too."

Apparently, he hadn't phrased his question clearly enough for Drake to understand.

"No, I mean like in your down time. What do you do for fun?"

"That is what I do for fun Stutters."

Dave shot Drake a critical stare; if he could gave an answer more adequate than his standard 'I like physics', he expected the Morganian to do the same. Upon seeing his look, the illusionist rolled his eyes, annoyed that his response wasn't good enough.

"Alright Stutters, alright. I guess I like to read sometimes too."

Not the greatest response ever, but if he could accept his answer, Dave supposed he could let this one slide. Just this once though.

"So, what kind of books do you like to read?"

Drake was silent for a moment, his eyes pensive and his features twisted with thought. If reading was a favorite hobby of his, shouldn't he know what genres he liked? Then again, even he found it difficult to lump all his preferences up into one category.

"I guess I like to read romance novels."

Of all the responses the Morganian could have given him, that was the least expected one. Dave spluttered on air, poorly concealing it as a random fit of coughing, earning a raised brow from Drake.

"You like… romance novels? Like Fabio standing in the sunset romance novels?"

"Only th' best."

"I, well, that is to say…" His brain seemed to be having trouble forming a response of any sort as he tripped over his words, desperate to say anything.

Really what could he say to that? It's not like there was anything truly wrong with Drake's preferences, but it felt odd, like the big bad wolf suddenly becoming vegan. As Dave tried to rewire his poor, short-circuited brain, Drake burst out into a fit of hysterics.

"You shoulda seen the look on your face Stutters!"

Dave's face morphed into a look of confusion, exasperation looming over the horizon; he wasn't sure if he would ever truly get used to the Morganian's humor.

"You mean you don't like romance novels?"

"Not in particularly. Science fiction, well now, that's another story." Drake said, the mischievous twinkle still glimmering in his eyes.

Even though he was now on familiar footing with the Morganian, something told Dave that he was going to be in for a long afternoon.

* * *

Two hours later and they were walking on the familiar, aged concrete that led up to the stationhouse. What had initially started out as awkward ramblings and stilted responses had quickly evolved into a full-fledged conversation, topics ranging far and wide.

They discussed things like how the sequels were better than the prequels when it came to Star Wars, the merits over which version of Doctor Who was better(Dave was firmly in camp classic, while Drake swayed more towards the new version), and what Dune truly was about.

It was actually nice to talk with someone interests were similar to his own, however surprising that may be.

Normally, Bennet would just roll his eyes and joke about it to him whenever he talked about stuff like that, while Becky would try to at least seem halfway interested in whatever he was talking about, but he knew neither one of them actually enjoyed it.

Even now in the silence, Dave felt completely at ease, a state that was becoming increasingly rare for him these days. Peace was something to be relished, something to be enjoyed at full-length in leisure, which was exactly what he was doing.

"This is my stop." Dave said, pointing to the weather beaten door, the edges of his lips turning up into a smile.

"So it is."

Drake's eyes lingered on him, making Dave suddenly aware of how penetrating his stare was. No longer was the Morganian jovial and mischievous; for this moment, he could tell the illusionist was serious.

The air felt thick and heavy, mounds of unspoken tension just simmering underneath the surface. It was almost eerie how quickly the atmosphere had changed between the two of them; only a moment ago had the silence been tranquil and pleasant.

Why couldn't things just stay normal between the two of them for more than five seconds?

Dave could feel those exact words forming on his lips when the Morganian leaned in towards him, rendering all other thoughts and actions moot. He was close, too close to him, and Dave could feel the sweat rising just beneath his collar.

Just what was Drake playing at?

Before Dave could process what was going on around him, Drake closed the distance between them and placed his lips against Merlinian's forehead. His breath hitched in his throat and Dave swore the temperature around him spiked up several degrees all in the span of five seconds. Climate shifts don't happen that sporadically, do they?

Maybe he should have paid more attention to those global warming lectures.

A knot began to coil in the pit of his stomach and if the Morganian didn't step away from him soon, Dave felt certain that he might suffocate. The prospect of sudden death didn't fill him with dread though; in fact, he really wasn't sure what he was feeling at all.

After what felt like ages, the Morganian slowly pulled away from him, leaving a crimson Dave slack-jawed in front of the stationhouse.

"I, you… what was that?"

Drake lips turned up into a soft smile, an air of coyness clinging to him. Whatever the reason was, Dave was certain he wasn't going to get an answer.

"See ya around, Dave."

His eyes never left the form of the illusionist, watching him drift further and further away, until he was nothing more than a dot against the horizon.

And all at once, Dave felt the weight of the world descend upon his shoulders. He shuffled through his keys, examining each piece of metal with more detail than the act deserved, before finding the familiar tarnished key.

He rattled the doorknob twice, fingers fumbling with the key, until a resounding click filled the air and he stepped into the familiar confines of his lair. Dave slumped against the door, raking a hand through his hair and closing it with a sigh.

This was just all one big, convoluted mess.

As much as part of him wanted to brush off what just happened as a strange act of friendship, a sort of fond farewell, he knew there was more to it than that. He just wasn't so sure if wanted to know what more entailed.

In fact, the only thing he knew was that he hoped the Morganian's actions wouldn't become routine. The 'hoped' part was throwing him off though.

Hope implied that part of him was uncertain. Uncertain of what though? He loved Becky, that was almost a fact now, wasn't it? But something strange was happening between him and Drake, and not for the first time did he wonder if his relationship with Becky hung precariously in the balance.

With a weary mind and a heavy heart, he opened his eyes. A pair of electric blue ones greeted him.

"Jesus Balthazar!"

Dave clutched his chest, his breath coming out in short, stilted gasps. Nothing like a surprise visit from you mentor to pull you out your emotional slumps or make you almost crap your pants.

"Dave, we need to talk. Now." Balthazar's tone broached no formalities or excuses, his lips poised in one stern line.

Dave felt a sense of unease ripple across him at the severity in his mentor's stance. Dave hadn't heard a word from the Merlinian for several weeks now, most of which he had assumed were spent with Veronica, reacquainting her to this world. After all, you do tend to miss out on a lot of critical events when you spent the last millennia or so locked up in a glorified doll.

But could something else have happened in their travels?

"About what?" Dave edged cautiously, eying Balthazar with grim certainty. Whatever it was, they would find a way through it, somehow.

"This."

Dave was startled when he shoved a newspaper underneath his nose, the edges curled and the front splashed with coffee. Even though the image was blurred and stained, Dave saw the picture with surprising clarity.

After all, how could he forget that afternoon Chez Pierre? That was when this whole fiasco began.

"Oh, that."

Dave could feel the dread rolling off of him in waves. Something told him Balthazar might not be as understanding of this whole situation as Becky was, especially when it involved his nemesis' apprentice.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Uh-oh! Trouble is brewing on the horizon for Dave and this may be one problem he can't talk his way out of. And what about Drake? Is he really a friend? Or is he just a wolf in sheep's clothing? Stay tuned! (:


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